Iran eyes further joint production of Sputnik V vaccine with Russia, says ambassador

MOSCOW, March 21. /TASS/. Iran welcomes the development of cooperation with Russia for the production of Sputnik V and Sputnik Light coronavirus vaccines, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said in an interview with TASS. "Considering Russia’s serious approach to the joint production of vaccines in other countries, the Pasteur Institute of Iran and the Gamaleya Research Center signed a cooperation agreement on technology transfer for the joint production of the Sputnik V vaccine in Iran, also the Iranian company Actoverco, the Gamaleya Research Center and the Russian Direct Investment Fund signed an agreement on the joint production of the Sputnik Light vaccine in Iran," the ambassador said. "We welcome the development of cooperation to explore other opportunities in the field of vaccines and immunobiological drugs. Currently, the country's need for vaccines is met through domestic production," he added. The ambassador recalled that initially Iran and Russia agreed on a contract for the purchase of 2 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine, and later - on a contract for the purchase of 30 million doses. "To date, about 5 million doses of vaccine have been purchased," he added. A test batch of the Sputnik V vaccine was produced in Iran back in June 2021. Sputnik V was registered in Russia on August 11, 2020, becoming the world's first officially registered coronavirus vaccine. At the moment, the drug is registered in 70 countries with a total population of 4 billion people. Read more